EPPO Global Database

EPPO Reporting Service no. 10 - 2018 Num. article: 2018/205

New invasive alien plant species recommended for regulation in the EPPO region


Ten invasive alien plant species have been added to the EPPO A1 and A2 Lists in 2018 and therefore recommended for regulation within the EPPO region.  All species were risk assessed within the framework of the LIFE funded project: Mitigating the threat of invasive alien plants in the EU through pest risk analysis to support the EU Regulation 1143/2014. The ten species (table 1) include three grass species (Andropogon virginicus, Cortaderia jubata and Ehrharta calycina), two vines (Humulus scandens and Lygodium japonicum), two tree species (Prosopis juliflora and Triadica sebifera), one shrub (Hakea sericea) and two perennial herbs (Ambrosia confertiflora and Lespedeza cuneata).  The majority of plants listed below were assessed to enter the EPPO region on the pathway ‘plants for planting’.  For A. confertiflora, seed contaminant of livestock (wool) and feed mixtures was highlighted as the most likely pathway and for A. virginicus contamination of used machinery (military vehicles) was identified as a historic pathway for the entry of the species into the EPPO region.  Pathways for L. japonicum include plants for planting but also contamination of nursery material (the species has been intercepted as a contaminant of bonsai plants from Asia to the Netherlands).


Table 1. Invasive alien plant species recommended for regulation, 2018.


Species

Family

Type

Origin

EPPO List

Ambrosia confertiflora

Asteraceae

Perennial herb

North America

A2

Andropogon virginicus

Poaceae

Grass

North America

A2

Cortaderia jubata

Poaceae

Grass

South America

A1

Ehrharta calycina

Poaceae

Grass

Africa

A2

Hakea sericea

Proteaceae

Shrub

Australia

A2

Humulus scandens

Cannabaceae

Vine

Asia

A2

Lespedeza cuneata

Fabaceae

Perennial legume

Asia

A1

Lygodium japonicum

Lygodiaceae

Vine

Asia

A1

Prosopis juliflora

Fabaceae

Tree

Americas

A2

Triadica sebifera

Euphorbiaceae

Tree

Asia

A1



Sources

EPPO website: https://www.eppo.int/ACTIVITIES/invasive_alien_plants/iap_lists